Issue
Number 441
February 2, 2004
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
- Can you help IAC find a celebrity spokesperson for
immunization?
- New: IAC creates a web page to allay parents' concerns that
MMR vaccine might cause autism
- New: IAC's web page helps health professionals, parents, and
patients locate old immunization records
- CDC issues an update of U.S. influenza activity for January
18-24
- New: The Rotavirus Vaccine Program launches an international
website for health professionals and the public
- Reminder: February 14 is the pre-registration deadline for the
International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases
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ABBREVIATIONS: AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics; ACIP, Advisory Committee
on Immunization Practices; CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
FDA, Food and Drug Administration; IAC, Immunization Action Coalition; MMWR
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; NIP, National Immunization Program;
VIS, Vaccine Information Statement; WHO, World Health Organization.
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February 2, 2004
CAN YOU HELP IAC FIND A CELEBRITY SPOKESPERSON FOR IMMUNIZATION?
The University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Journalism has graciously
offered to work with IAC in creating a professional public service
announcement (PSA) promoting the importance of immunization to the general
public.
Our hope is to find a celebrity who has had personal experience with a
vaccine-preventable disease (i.e., has suffered one themselves or has a
family member who has). As part of the PSA, we will have the celebrity
briefly relate her/his experience and then make a statement in favor of
immunization.
We are asking "IAC EXPRESS" readers to come to our aid. Do you know a
celebrity who has had experience with a vaccine-preventable disease? If not,
do any of your acquaintances in the immunization community know a suitable
celebrity? Please ask around: remember, there are just six degrees of
separation between you and almost anyone else on the planet!
If you are able to help us out, please contact Diane Peterson, IAC's
associate director for immunization projects, by email at
diane@immunize.org or by phone
at (651) 647-9009.
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February 2, 2004
NEW: IAC CREATES A WEB PAGE TO ALLAY PARENTS' CONCERNS THAT MMR VACCINE
MIGHT CAUSE AUTISM
IAC's recently developed web page, "Does MMR Vaccine Cause Autism? Examine
the Evidence," gives health professionals a way to help parents research the
allegation that vaccines might cause autism. Unless they study the
allegation, such parents may refuse to have their children vaccinated or may
request vaccination with individual measles, mumps, and rubella components.
The MMR/autism allegation began with Dr. Andrew Wakefield's observation of
12 patients in the United Kingdom. Despite evidence to the contrary, the
allegation continues to flourish in the media and on the Internet.
The new web page contains links to journal article abstracts and related
commentaries. A few articles, including two by Wakefield, support the MMR/autism
connection; many more refute it. IAC encourages health professionals to
refer parents to the web page and to make and distribute copies of it
themselves.
To access the page directly, go to:
http://www.immunize.org/mmrautism
You can also access it from IAC's two main websites,
www.immunize.org and
www.vaccineinformation.org
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February 2, 2004
NEW: IAC'S WEB PAGE HELPS HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, PARENTS, AND
PATIENTS LOCATE OLD IMMUNIZATION RECORDS
If you know of health professionals, patients, or parents faced
with the problem of locating information about past
immunizations, feel free to refer them to a new IAC web page,
"Tips for Finding Old Immunization Records." The page lists the
steps individuals should take when trying to reconstruct an
immunization history.
To access the page, go to:
http://www.vaccineinformation.org/topics/oldrecords.asp
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February 2, 2004
CDC ISSUES AN UPDATE OF U.S. INFLUENZA ACTIVITY FOR
JANUARY 18-24
CDC published "Update: Influenza Activity--United States,
January 18-24, 2004" in the January 30 issue of MMWR. Portions
of the article are reprinted below.
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The number of states reporting widespread influenza activity
continued to decrease during the reporting week of
January 18-24, 2004. One state health department reported
widespread activity. A total of 20 states reported regional
activity, 19 states and New York City reported local activity,
and sporadic activity was reported by nine states,
the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. The
percentage of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI)
remained the same during the week ending January 24. The
percentage of specimens testing positive for influenza and the
percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I)
decreased. . . .
Antigenic Characterization
Of the 573 influenza viruses collected by U.S. laboratories
since October 1, 2003, and characterized antigenically by CDC,
565 were influenza A (H3N2) viruses, two were influenza A (H1)
viruses, and six were influenza B viruses. The hemagglutinin
proteins of the influenza A (H1) viruses were similar
antigenically to the hemagglutinin of the vaccine strain A/New
Caledonia/20/99. Of the 565 influenza A (H3N2) isolates that
have been characterized, 106 (18.8%) were similar antigenically
to the vaccine strain A/Panama/2007/99 (H3N2), and 459 (81.2%)
were similar to a drift variant, A/Fujian/411/2002 (H3N2). Five
influenza B viruses characterized were similar antigenically to
B/Sichuan/379/99, and one was similar antigenically to B/Hong
Kong/330/2001.
P&I Mortality Surveillance
During the week ending January 24, 2004, P&I accounted for 9.7%
of all deaths reported through the 122 Cities Mortality
Reporting System. P&I mortality appears to have peaked but
remains above the epidemic threshold of 8.2% . . . .
Influenza-Associated Deaths in Children Aged <18 Years
As of January 26, CDC had received reports of 121 influenza-associated deaths in U.S. residents aged <18 years. These data
are preliminary and subject to change as more data become
available. Thirteen of the 121 deaths occurred since January 1.
All patients had evidence of influenza virus infection detected
by rapid-antigen testing or other laboratory tests. Among
reported deaths, 62 (51.2%) were male. The median age was
3.8 years (range: 2 weeks-17 years). Of 72 children aged
<5 years, 33 were aged 6-23 months. Twenty-six children had
medical conditions that put them at increased risk for
complications from influenza. Of the children whose influenza
vaccination status was reported, two were vaccinated according
to recommendations, and 57 were not vaccinated.
Weekly influenza activity updates are available through CDC's
voice [telephone, (888) 232-3228] and fax [telephone,
(888) 232-3299, document number 361100] information systems.
Additional information about influenza viruses and surveillance
is available from CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/flu
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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go
to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5303a6.htm
To access a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,
go to: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5303.pdf
To receive a FREE electronic subscription to MMWR (which
includes new ACIP statements), go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwrsubscribe.html
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February 2, 2004
NEW: THE ROTAVIRUS VACCINE PROGRAM LAUNCHES AN INTERNATIONAL
WEBSITE FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC
Established in 2003 by the Program for Appropriate Technology
in Health (PATH), the Rotavirus Vaccine Program has recently
launched a comprehensive website about rotavirus disease and
accelerated efforts to develop rotavirus vaccine.
Rotavirus is largely overlooked as the underlying source of
deadly diarrheal disease, estimated to cause 500,000 child
deaths and 2 million hospitalizations each year. Most deaths
occur in developing countries; no vaccine is currently available
in the developing world.
A major goal of the website's developers is to bring needed
information about the disease to the public and public health
workers worldwide. Another goal is to keep website visitors
apprised of the status of rotavirus vaccine development.
To access the website, go to: http://www.rotavirusvaccine.org
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February 2, 2004
REMINDER: FEBRUARY 14 IS THE PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR THE
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
The International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases is
scheduled for February 29-March 3 in Atlanta. As registration is
limited to 2500 attendees, the conference organizers recommend
that you pre-register no later than February 14, 2004.
The conference will bring together health professionals in an
exchange of scientific and public health information on global
emerging infections. Major topics include current work on
surveillance, epidemiology, research, communication and
training, bioterrorism, and prevention and control of emerging
infectious diseases, in the United States and abroad.
For a comprehensive overview of the conference, including
registration and program information, go to:
http://www.iceid.org
For additional information, contact the American Society for
Microbiology by phone at (202) 942-9330 or by email at
iceid@asmusa.org |
